Puppets And Flowers
by SilentFighter00
Summary: Team 7 finds Sasuke, but is interrupted by two mysterious men on a clay bird. Sakura sends Naruto and Kakashi away and is left alone with the men and Sasuke. Sasosaku & a secret couple.
1. Chapter 1

Puppets And Flowers

Pink flashed in the dark forest, yellow and silver following behind.

A young kunoichi threw her sharpest kunai at the fleeting spark of raven hair. Her pink hair whipped in front of her face, blinding her emerald eyes. The girl shook her head and came to a stop in a forest opening.

A gentle river was flowing less than a mile off to the right; the forest's serenity was enough to captivate everyone that entered. Yet the kunoichi's attention was on a pale man with raven colored hair directly in front of her. Her eyes flickered to the bleeding cut on his left arm, obviously where her kunai hit.

"Sakura-chan! Wait up!" the yellow haired boy ran up to Sakura. He received a serious glance and screeched to a halt, a step closer to the man. Kakashi, the silver haired and slightly older, man was behind them. He knew where this meeting might be heading.

"Naruto...Sakura..." the dark haired boy took out his katana and stood in fighting position, yet his attention was focused on something above the forest tree line. Slowly his eyes became tainted with red, pure blood red.

"Sasuke, we don't want to fight. Just come back to Konoha!" Sakura was on the verge of screaming. She could barely manage to look at her, long ago realized, brotherly like figure. Ever since he left she cried, not because she once was thought to love him but because she did, like he was her sibling. After he parents died when she was younger she only had Team 7.

Sasuke gave her the infamous look that said 'you're so annoying' and opened his mouth to speak. Most likely to say something to match the look on his face.

But he was cut off by what seemed to be a giant clay bird landing harshly in between them. A blonde and redhead jumped off. They wore matching cloaks, colored black with red clouds on them.

"Akatsuki! Naruto, Kakashi, get out of here!" Sakura yelled at them, guessing what the troubling pair wanted.

Naruto began to protest, his blue eyes getting frustrated and worried. However, his sensei just grabbed his arm and ran. Kakashi had faith in his female student.

Once they were far enough Sakura turned to the new threat. She carefully observed her opponents, just as her mentor, Tsunade, had taught her.

The first Akatsuki member was blonde. Their right eye was a clear blue, yet the blonde hair covered the left eye. Yet what confused Sakura was the gender. She stifled a giggle as she pondered over the gender. After a second the pinkette saw the resemblance between the Akatsuki member and her best friend, Ino.

But the second member was obviously a male. His deep red hair was scraggly and fell just above his brown eyes. Chakra flowed from the finger tips of his left hand. The blue strings ended at a large puppet. Sakura realized that it strongly resembled the third Kazekage. By chance, Sakura made eye contact with him and fully realized the aching in her gut.

"Hey, Sasori. Look at this. It's Itachi's brother and a pinky, un," the blonde cut in. By the voice Sakura could suspect it was a male. He gave his partner a devious smirk.

"Well, Deidara. We were to only capture the Uchiha, but we can't just let her go, I guess," Sasori's voice was smooth, but emotionless. But a ghostly hint of amusement sparked in his eyes when Sakura positioned herself to fight.

Without another word, a battle broke out between them.

Sakura slammed her fist into the Earth with enough chakra to break the ground. And just as she planned, the third Kazekage was sent into one of the never-ending cracks. A smile of triumph was plastered on her lips, until her redhead opponent took off his cloak. Stunned, she realized he was a puppet himself.

Sakura was only successful enough to land some punches strong enough to crack the puppet skin. After a few hours or so her chakra drained and she fainted.

However, Sasuke was still fighting Deidara. Chidori was sparking in a brilliant flash of white and blue electricity. He channeled it to his katana and with his sharingan activated he charged at the blonde. But, quicker than Sasuke, Deidara's hands had chewed clay and formed a spider. With a small flick it landed on a confused Sasuke's shoulder.

"KATSU!" Deidara screamed and watched it explode, leaving the man unconscious like his old teammate.

Sasori and Deidara picked up their new prisoners and walked back to the clay bird. After about twenty minutes Deidara looked from Sasori to Sakura, then back at the puppet man.

"She's kinda cute, un. Don't you think, Danna?" he smiled at his own attempt to pull emotion out of his partner.

"Whatever," Sasori grunted slightly and snuck a glance at the pink kunoichi. Maybe there was a second where his eyes softened and he thought about how beautiful she really was. Yet the puppet would shove such ideas away and say it was probably due to the partial beating he had taken.

It had only taken another fifteen minutes to reach the Akatsuki hideout. When they were inside, Sakura slowly began to wake. She looked around then realized she was being carried bridal style. And by who else then the dear Sasori?

The pinkette calmed herself and faked perfect sleep, all the while observing the hallway and doors. Beautiful mahogany doors, each carved with a specific drawing. The few she noticed were quite peculiar. A fish, an eye, a money bag,and a scythe were on the left. But she couldn't turn her head to see the right without being caught. Instead she focused on the walls. They were a dark purple color, just like the Akatsuki nails.

A few seconds later she was being placed in a cell. She cracked one eye open, assuming she wouldn't get caught.

"Hey, Danna! Look whose awake,un!" Deidara smiled and leaned close to the kunoichi. His position giving her slight access to see Sasuke's limp body on a bed across from her's.

"whatever..." Sasori smacked his partners head and gestured toward the door impatiently, waiting for them to leave. Sakura noted that Sasori obviously hated to wait.

"Wait! Why am I here?" the pinkette called after to two men. The blonde artist laughed a bit and they continued to walk away.

And so Sakura sat for the next two hours studying her cell. It was cold and grey. Naturally, Sakura suspected that the bed was a rock hidden inside a thin mattress. The blanket was as warm as a thread, and the pillow was nothing close to soft.

Slowly her ex-teammate awoke, he stirred slightly and jumped out of his bed. The Uchiha reached instinctively for his katana, only to find that it was not in its normal spot, just below his back.

"They stripped us of our weapons, Sasuke. We've been captured by the Akatsuki."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**A/N so how's everyone like it so far ^_^? I know it's not that great. My deepest apologies. But if anyone is wondering (nobody probably is), I will make this for as long as I can. And I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, but I wish I did… ENJOY MY LITTLE FRIENDS!**

Sasuke only stared at Sakura, disbelief staining his coal black eyes. A memory began to cloud his mysterious eyes, and for a minute Sakura was tempted to try comforting him.

The silent avenger was stumbling for words, until his eyes bled red and cold with hatred. "Itachi..." he practically growled his brother's name aloud.

Realization struck Sakura for a minute. The Uchiha family history was brought up in her mind like an old file. Every last detail, rumor, and fact popped up suddenly in her mind. Strangely, she felt as though his anger was being channeled into her. The blossom shook her head and walked over to Sasuke.

The young Uchiha was surprised to see Sakura's hand reach out and grab his arm. He jerked it back and glared at her.

"Let me heal your cuts," she muttered. Slowly and hesitantly the raven haired boy let her heal him.

Rather curious as why he let her, Sakura gathered the green mist-like chakra and started healing him. Sasuke flinched a bit to which Sakura lessened the chakra in her hands. Her mind wandered a little before she began to compare her chakra to Sasori's chakra strings. Mumbling at first the pinkette soon began talking loud enough for her current patient to hear.

"His is strong enough to pull even a living human. Of course their guard would have to be let down but with the simplest of tricks that could be done. And those strings were like spider webs, thin yet strong enough for their purpose. I wonder how well-"

"AHH, SAKURA STOP!" the Uchiha screamed in pain and agony as Sakura noticed her chakra was too strong and began to burn and sting. She pulled away and saw he was fully healed and the cuts and bruises were gone. He muttered a 'thank you' and she nodded.

Footsteps accompanied Sakura's as she walked to the other side of the room. However, the other ones belonged to a cold ruthless assassin. The footsteps stopped in front of the cell. The blossom and avenger lead their eyes from the third person's feet to his long black hair that was pulled into a ponytail and thrown over his shoulder. Silent gasps filled the air between the trio.

"Hello, foolish brother. I need you to come with me now, and don't try to fight for it will be useless," Itachi was calm with expressionless eyes. Sakura at this point figured that emotions were not common in the Akatsuki.

Feeling somewhat weak, Sasuke could only nod and decided not to fight back.. He sent a glance toward Sakura that said it all before disappearing with his brother.

'Stay safe, Sakura.' She was shocked at the Uchiha. Slowly dropping herself on the rock bed she began to think. Maybe it was seconds, minutes, or even hours before more strange footsteps trailed down to her shared cell.

She barely noticed another person's presence until they were crouched on the ground and staring at her. The pinkette was startled and stared straight into the only visible blue eyes.

"I'm gonna need you to come with me, un." Deidara was pulling her up with one of his hands. But the blossom snatched her hand away and looked at the saliva on her hands. With a questioning and offended look she lifted her eyes to the blonde. Smirking, he lifted up his hand and showed her the mouth.

After several minutes of convincing her that the hand would not do it again he began to lead her down the doors. However, Sakura barely had enough time to observe anything more than the hallways and their path. Soon enough she was lead into a dark conference room.

Very few people were around the room and even less were recognizable. There was Deidara, Sasori, a man-plant, a blue-haired female, and an orange-haired man with a few too many piercings. The orange haired man spoke first when the door creaked to a shut. Sakura expected questions, but not what he said next.

"Sakura Haruno, we have witnessed your strength and ability to heal. And we want to know… Will you join the Akatsuki?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**A/N SOOOOOO….. I don't own anything except the story line. BUH BYEZ ENJOYZ DA STORAYY! Oh p.s I'm considering doing an Itasaku or Gaasaku, but I can't decide which to do first. Help?**

Sakura stood in absolute shock. Her chest tightened and her world spun. Inside her head things were playing out. Memories of her best friends and memories of her lost ones were flying about. She had the chance to escape the pain of her old life. But was it really worth it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the blue-haired woman.

"Sakura, you may have three days to consider this idea. Itachi is currently speaking with his brother about the same thing," the woman was smiling comfortingly toward Sakura. Unlike most of the men, she was a bit more sensitive.

"Konan, we did not decide on this!" the orange-haired man was furious. His face was twisted in ways that scared the pinkette.

"Calm down, Pein. She obviously needs time to think this over," Konan was no longer smiling and her voice was rough and edgy.

Pein growled and nodded. He pointed to Sasori, who along with the other two men wasn't paying attention, and mumbled something like 'Take her away'. The puppet nodded his head and turned to Sakura. He walked over to the door and opened it. Quickly Sakura followed him into purple halls.

It was a long and painful walk. Silence bit into the air between them. Sakura found herself staring at the redhead. His blood-like hair was beautifully fallen on his pale puppet skin. Was it skin? The pinky was studying him for a bit until they came upon her cell. The puppet man opened the cell and sent the distracted cherry blossom into it.

"Staring isn't polite, Sa-ku-ra." He smirked and dragged out the last syllable. And all Sakura could do was blush a bright pink and look into his brown eyes. For a few seconds Sasori looked back, witnessing all her secrets and pains. And for a few seconds he gripped his fist in pity and anger. But it was over soon. The puppet, upset at himself, turned and walked away.

The kunoichi was stunned at him and had caught his swift movements. But yet again she was not allowed to think anymore because soon she felt a hand on her shoulder from behind.

"Sasuke-"the pinkette was cut off when he pulled her into a hug. Uchiha Sasuke was hugging her! She could not believe what was happening. When he pulled away his expression was serious.

"Did they ask you to join them?" he was speaking too fast for Sakura to process. However when she did she nodded very slowly. "And did you accept?"

"T-they gave me time to think about it. D-did they you?"

"Yes they did ask me. And I refused. Please Sakura, tell me you're not considering it."

"Well… I might be…"

"WHAT?!" Sasuke was glowing was anger. He immediately raised his hand and slapped Sakura.

The girl flew across the room and landed with a thud. Everything was black for a fleeting minute before Sasuke grabbed her by her shirt collar and lifted her up. The dazed girl placed her right hand on her cheek that Sasuke had slapped. She could already tell that his nails had scratched her and that there was going to be a red hand mark. When the stinging subsided, realization hit Sakura.

"You… Hit….Me..." and with the last word whispered, she raised her left hand. It was luminescent with an emerald green, a replica of her enraged green eyes. With speed that only Tsunade knew, she struck Sasuke so hard he flew into the back wall and made a huge dent. Sasuke was knocked out and Sakura estimated that she had the rest of the night to think alone.

Eventually, she fell asleep and dreamt. She dreamt of her decisions and paths to take.

_Sakura sat up slowly in her own bed, back in her own house. She walked downstairs and saw an empty home. It was cold and lonely. The pinkette walked outside and began to walk toward the hospital. On the way she saw Ino and Shikamaru holding hands. And at the Hokage Tower Hinata and Naruto were parting with a kiss. Sakura was struck with the thought that she was just lonely. Everyone and everything around her had a pair and someone to keep them company, except her. She dropped to her knees in front of the hospital. One solo tear falling._

_The dream began to change…))_

_The pink-haired girl was in a room, a rough darker shade of her hair color. The plush bed she was laying in was comfortable. She slowly got up and walked out of the door. When she closed it she noticed a carved picture of a cherry blossom on a mahogany door. Only a few seconds later two men were walking toward her with a scroll. The pinky was surprised to be pulled into a hug by Deidara, but was even more astounded by the redhead next to him. _

"_Good morning, love. We have a mission." Sasori leaned down to Sakura and kissed her softly._

And that was when Sakura awoke suddenly.

**(A/N Well sorry if you're annoyed by my cliffhangers but it's a habit :P. Anyway, please rate and review, I Love those of you who have and who will. 3 see ya!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sakura turned over in the rock bed to see Sasuke still passed out on the ground. Had she not been still angry, she might have giggled at his loud snores. Instead she got up and picked up his body. After she had placed his body on the bed she went over to her bag.

She wasn't surprised to see it did not have the weapons it originally had. However, all other components were still there; her clothing, comb, and other small items. Sakura shuddered at the thought of the Akatsuki men going through her bag.

But then she trailed off from the Akatsuki men to just one member. The one and only redhead puppet. For a few moments her head had stopped thinking and her heart had stopped beating. Then, the dreams came flooding back. Was she really that lonely in Konoha? Was it possible for her to start anew in the Akatsuki?

Sasuke rolled off his bed and once he hit the floor he jumped up. "What the-"

"You hit me. So I returned the favor, but you ended up knocked out." Sakura's voice was as emotionless as the older Uchiha's. But her emerald eyes were screaming with emotions._ Pain, Agony, Regret,_

"I see… I'm sorry… But what could the Akatsuki offer you that Konoha, or even I, can't?" Sasuke began to regret what he said. He did not care for her… Right? No, no he did not. But he knew the words were out there and could not be taken back.

"I can't tell you, Sasuke." And with that they stopped talking and the day dragged on. Eventually was around one o'clock when footsteps came. Footsteps from two people that neither of the prisoners were ready to see yet.

"Uchiha, Haruno. Here's your food." Sasori opened the door and he and Itachi stepped in. Sakura managed to keep herself from blushing and looking at Sasori. _(Flashback)_

"_Good morning, love. We have a mission." Sasori leaned down to Sakura and kissed her softly. (Flashback done)_

However, the youngest Uchiha had trouble holding back his rage. He launched himself at his older brother. Slightly surprised Itachi managed to move out of the way. Without a single word his Mangekyo Sharingan activated and Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks.

"Troublesome Sasuke…" Sakura mumbled and earned a laugh from Sasori and a look from Itachi. Sakura's green eyes widened at Sasori and she stumbled for words. He handed her a tray with a bowl of ramen and grinned at her. The pinkette blushed and barely managed to force a 'thank you' out of her mouth.

"Have you decided yet?" Itachi's question was straight forward and startled Sakura. Thankfully the blush had faded when she turned toward him.

"I think I have. But I want to know, what would I be doing in the Akatsuki if I joined?" she took a bite of her ramen and smiled internally. It was delicious and shrimp flavored.

"You'd be healing members, doing missions, going on assassinations, and on your free time you can do anything but go back to your village. Oh, and instead of having today, tomorrow and the day after, Pein said you must decide by noon tomorrow." Sasori had gone back to being an emotionless puppet.

'I think I've made my decision then…" Sakura was a bit hesitant and slightly curious as to her own choice. However she was going to believe in her what her mind and heart agreed on. She forced herself to trust it would all work out.

"Oh really now, Sa-ku-ra?" A smirk was upon the puppet's lips and Sakura nodded.

'I've chosen to-" But Sakura was cut off by a huge explosion. And soon enough there were five new people in the room.

"Sakura-chan!" And within a blink Ino, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai were around her. Across the room, Orochimaru and Kabuto had made their way to Sasuke.

**A/N Sorry it's kinda shorter than usual guys. I'm trying to do this before bed and without getting caught. Bye guys, hope you enjoyed it and I'll get chapter 5 out soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Guys, what are you doing here?!" Sakura was angry. In fact, she was beyond angry. These four fools were here on a suicide mission. But she did not care for the other two idiots.

"We're saving you, Forehead." Ino was smiling at Sakura but it turned to a frown when the pinky didn't look relieved.

"Let her go and we won't have to fight." Kakashi's tone was serious, but the bags around his eyes showed he was worried the entire time.

"Well, before you rudely interrupted, our blossom was going to tell us whether she wants to join us or not. Why don't we let her choose?" Sasori smirked when he placed an arm around Sakura's waist and Naruto growled.

"SHE'S NOT YOUR BLOSSOM!" Naruto took fighting stance but stopped when Sakura's head dropped and she hissed. Everyone turned to the pinkette whose hair was now covering her face.

"Shut up. Everyone. Now. I've made my decision and I expect you to respect the fact that I've chosen to stay and join the Akatsuki." She lifted her head and her eyes burned with fierceness that shocked almost everyone. But opposite of her the platinum blonde was teary eyed.

"B-but…Sakura-"

"Just get away from me. Let me choose my own life for once. Just go, or else I will fight you." Sakura clenched her glowing green fist. Naruto slammed his fist into the wall and walked away, obviously pissed off.

"I know they're forcing you to choose them, Sakura. I know it…" and with that the crying blonde and the rest of the Konoha ninjas disappeared. However, Orochimaru and Kabuto were just exiting the cell, holding a limp Sasuke.

"Orochimaru put Sasuke down." Itachi was slightly annoyed and was standing with his arms folded over his chest.

"Not without a fight." Orochimaru smiled evilly and Kabuto was first to attack.

Surprisingly, Sakura punched Kabuto with her still glowing fist. Her punch hit his left ribs and she smiled when the satisfying crunch was heard. Kabuto fell to the floor and with a chakra filled foot she kicked his gut. Blood gushed up his mouth to which even Itachi, who along with Sasori was watching, flinched a bit. The angry pinkette was about to hit him in the head when Sasori pulled her away.

"Orochimaru is gone with Sasuke and Kabuto is on the verge of death." Itachi was talking to Pein as he walked into the cell. He shook his head and looked at Sasori. Although Sakura did not understand the meaning of the look, Sasori did.

Sakura looked around and saw that Orochimaru had escaped. But Sasori was pulling her away before she could analyze anything. When they were in the hall, he began to bang his fist on the doors, three times exactly.

Deidara, a fishy man, a man with silver hair combed back, and another man with a mask over his face joined the two in the hallway.

"We have to move to one of the other locations. Pack your things and we will move quickly." Sasori was not worried and in fact was quite calm.

"Who's the bitch?" the silver haired man was rude and curious. Sakura growled slightly and glared at the man.

"Shut up, Hidan. I think she's a new member." The man with a mask had entered his room and came back with only a small bag. The other three had done the same.

"Indeed she is. And we will be moving the hideout in near the Sound Village." Sasori was leading the way out of the hideout."

"The Sound? Really? Is it because of-"the fishy man was cut off by Deidara.

"Shut up, un! Let's keep it a surprise, Kisame."

"My name is Sakura, Haruno Sakura." She gave a small smile despite the knowing that any of these men could harm her. But quickly she reminded herself that she was Tsunade's student. She could heal anyone with one finger and break the Earth with one tap.

"It matches your hair. I'm Kakuzu." His voice was empty and Sakura couldn't tell if he was complimenting her. The pinky just nodded her head and they walked to the hideout.

It was a silent walk between all six of them, but the air around them was filled with life. Sakura hadn't been paying attention to the time when she was in the cell. But now she saw it was night, maybe around ten. The moon was shining and was barely visible because of the tall trees. Birds were sweetly singing and crickets were bursting with life. Soon enough, Sakura began to wander in her own thoughts. But as her mind was too crowded with her decision, she could not focus.

Then it struck her. The familiarity of it was so strong it invaded her thoughts and body. The sweet and yet faint smell of cherry blossoms. When the little pinkette looked around she realized they were at the new hideout. It was pretty obvious because Deidara was performing a blur of hand signs and a doorway appeared. But she was staring at the cherry blossom trees around.

'So ironic…'

**No duh…**

'Inner? Why've you been so quiet lately!? A lot has happened!'

**I've been exploring… Ya know you have a lot of dark secrets you keep from me… And I already know about the Akatsuki and everything. I read your jumbled thoughts…**

"You devious ass!" Sakura hadn't realized she shouted the last sentence until all of the men were staring at her. Inner Sakura studied their faces and came to certain conclusions that only made Sakura blush and continue to internally scream.

**The blonde is cute. And what's up with the mask on the other guy. Wait… HOLD THE PRESSES! THE REDHEAD IS GOR-**

"Don't even finish that sentence!"

"Ay, Bitch. You're fucking talking aloud. And it is DAMN ANNOYING." Hidan smiled as she growled. He walked into the door as the others still stared at her.

'Just go away, Inner. Let me get used to the fact that I'm now part of a group of killer men that can twist my head off at any moment.'

**Okay. Have fun with the gorgeous redhead.**

And with that Inner Sakura retreated.

Sakura entered behind everyone else. It struck her odd that this base was exactly the same as the old one. She assumed that the Akatsuki didn't appreciate change. But how did they feel about her then?

"Why so worried Pinky? Didn't you enjoy the cherry blossoms, un?" Deidara gave her a smile, but from the mouth of his left hand.

"My name is Sakura."

"I know, un. I just prefer Pinky." His hand smirked at her and she walked away.

She didn't notice she was walking with her head down until she crashed into somebody. Both bodies had fallen to the floor. Emerald orbs looked up apologetically but she was stopped when she saw who the victim of her foolishness was.

"Oh Sakura, I forgot to tell you. You and I will be sharing a room until yours is finished." Sakura's eyes widened as she looked into the brown eyes of Sasori.

_**A/N Sooo, yup. Yeah. Inner Sakura came late. But it's all in the plan… I think… Anyways! Tell me what you think. I love to hear reviews and will perfect myself until everyone is satisfied. And btw I'm considering doing a Gaasaku High school maybe…. Anyway, I love you guys. Peace out!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_**A/N This Chapter contains Hidan language! Beware! Oh and I skipped school today and didn't really do much in Grammar class lately so my apologies for any problems. If worse comes to worst I'll upload it and fix the mistakes, kay? Anyway, again HIDAN LANGUAGE! Enjoy!**_

Sakura stood before the lovely mahogany door and stared at the symbol in the middle. A puppet. She hesitantly opened the door and stepped in. Had she not been holding her breath before she would have been now. It was absolutely astounding. A king sized bed was in the middle with deep red covers. But the pillows were an emerald color very similar to her eyes. In the right corner of the room a wooden desk lay messy with puppet parts scattered on and around it. On the opposite wall was a door that was slightly ajar. She heard water rushing on the other side and suspected he was there. The pinkette finally subconsciously chose to breathe again.

With a step to the left she sat on a dark black couch. She began to admire the dark red coloring of the wall. Her bare feet swayed softly and brushed gently on the black carpet under her. She slowly closed her eyes and listened to the hypnotic sound of the water. Her pink hair fell right above her shoulders and she lifted her hand to play with a lock of it. It was a sign of pure serenity within her. Which was quite different seeing as how she was with what used to be the enemy.

When Sakura snapped out of her trance the water had stopped. But Sasori had not come out at all yet. She barely heard anything from the bathroom. So instead Sakura and Inner Sakura began to talk. Not argue, but actually talk like normal people. They both agreed that it was for the best she went to the Akatsuki, even if it was for different reasons.

**Yeah, that redhead is damn hot. I like this idea of joining the Akatsuki. **

"We didn't join because of Sasori. We joined because it's better than our life at Konoha.'

**Better than YOUR life at Konoha. I had fun beating the watching you beat the crud out of Naruto… And wait, Sasori you say? His name is even sexy!**

"His name is not sexy…" Sakura mumbled and looked up only to blush and realize Sasori had exited the bathroom now. Her face turned a cherry red when she observed his bare puppet chest. Even if he was a puppet it was slightly embarrassing to see a man with his shirt off. Lucky for Sakura he had sweatpants on.

"Close your mouth, Sakura." He turned away from her as she just stared at his bare back. Inner Sakura had disappeared to take a nap Sakura's mind. How? She wasn't sure anymore.

"Sorry Sasori-san," she was slightly confused as to why she gave him an honorific, but she felt as though she should've. Although, 'san' didn't roll off the tongue like she wanted.

He snapped his head around, very annoyed. "Just Sasori, got it Sa-ku-ra?"

She laughed at how his emotions, when he showed them, were just as wild as her own. She would have laughed more at his perplexed look but a loud bang came from the room next door along with two men yelling.

The pinky and redhead ran out the door to enter Deidara's room. Inside, Hidan was holding a large scythe to Deidara's neck and a clay spider was crawling up the scythe. It inched closer and closer to the religious man.

"I swear to Jashin I'll cut your fucking neck off! Pull back you're the damn spider bullshit now!"

"Not until you apologize! Oh, hey Danna and Pinky, un" Deidara smiled at the two who had entered the room.

"Hey Sasori, Bitch. The dike here won't take HER damn clay off me. A little help?" Hidan pressed his scythe closer to Deidara's neck. The slight pressure was enough to cut Deidara just a bit and he felt his own blood trickle.

"KAT-"But the loudmouthed blonde was stopped as the other two pulled the fighters away. Sasori placed his hand over Deidara's mouth and yanked him back by his ponytail. His scream was muffled by the hand.

Sakura on the other hand was a bit gentler. She pulled the cursing man's arm away and pushed him back. "What are you fighting about?"

"He said my clay wasn't art so I called his god fake, un." Deidara smirked. Hidan on the other hand was being held back by Sakura. Sasori let go of Deidara with a huff.

"That's it?" Sakura was momentarily confused. She let go of Hidan but regretted it as the religious man charged and the clay artist.

"Yeah, we should let them fight it out." But Sakura ignored him and within a blink she had Hidan pinned on the ground under her. Chakra flowed to her hands that were gripping his wrists and forcing them to lie next to his head. The man began to fight back and kick his legs. Instead of growling as she wished, Sakura took two chakra filled fingers and pressed a pressure point. The man under her went limp.

"Awww Pinky. Did you do that to defend my art, un?' the blonde hugged Sakura and she pushed him away laughing.

"I did it to stop the fighting." She smiled and noticed that the big blue fish was in the room now. She could not remember his name though.

"Guys, Itachi is on his way, but Konan and Pein will not be joining us at this hideout. They will be going on a secret mission for the next few months or so."

"Thank you, Kisame. Where exactly is Itachi now? "But the puppet man's question was answered when a soft 'hn' passed by the room with an emotionless Itachi entering his room.

Sakura was not paying attention to this as she healed the tiny cut on Deidara's neck. It vanished quickly and Deidara thanked her with a barely noticed wink.

Kisame picked up Hidan and took the man to his room. Sakura went to her shared room and wondered if she'd ever get privacy.

**Now why would you want time away from ****THAT****!**

Sakura let a hiss escape her mouth in reply. The blossom turned to Sasori who entered the room with a scroll.

"You, Deidara, and I have a mission the day after tomorrow."

"Okay… Um… Where will I be sleeping?"

"In the bed obviously…"

"With you?" When Sasori nodded all Sakura heard afterward was Inner Sakura's cheering. And everything was silent, and everything went black. She fainted.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sakura was half awake when she rolled over and hugged the tough body next to her. Inside her mind Inner Sakura was prodding her to wake up and look at the scene before her. Slowly the blossom opened her green orbs and looked up. Quickly she noticed Sasori giving her a nonplussed look. When her brain began to function she screeched and jumped out of the bed.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry Sasori-sama!" the pinkette blushed a deep red close to his hair color. She blinked as Sasori appeared in front of her. He was scowling and his face was only inches away from her. Sakura tried not to breathe but when she did she noticed he smelled like oak tree. It suited him, though she wouldn't dare tell him that. At least not while he was so close to her and could break her neck easily if he wished.

"I will tell you again, Sakura, do not call me that. Do not use such honorifics to my name." Sasori looked her in the eyes and walked away. He sat down on the bed and leaned against the headboard. He turned his gaze to Sakura before something clicked in the back of his head. "Konan has some clothing that might fit you in her room. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you borrowing something to wear. Her door has had the symbol of paper origami on it."

Sakura nodded and left the room. She scanned over the doors and eventually reached Konan's. Once she entered she made a swift movement and grabbed the first outfit she could find. She disliked invading the privacy of others. She ran out the room and was surprised to see a plant-man and a man with an orange mask on his face. They both turned toward her and the plant nodded.

"Hi there! I'm Tobi and that's Zetsu! Are you new to the Akatsuki?! I like your hair! It's very pink and pretty!" Sakura winced as she realized that the masked man was actually quite annoying. She groaned slightly and rubbed her temples.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you." She forced a smile and tried to walk away, but Tobi got in her way. He grabbed her hands and claimed she needed to paint her nails. Before she could argue, Tobi threw her over his shoulder and began to run. He stopped when he entered his room and threw her onto the couch.

Sakura looked around and laughed. The room was a bright, almost painful to look at, blue. Almost everything was a different shade of blue. Tobi ran to his bathroom and returned with a bottle of purple nail polish. She giggled at him as he enthusiastically started to paint her nails. She looked around the room and smiled as Tobi continued to speak about silly things. He often said "Tobi is a good boy" and the pinky found it quite interesting.

It was an hour later when Sakura left Tobi's room. She walked back to Sasori's room and found it to be completely empty. She skipped into the bathroom and showered. After the shower she changed into the clothes and looked into the mirror. She stared at her reflection and frowned. She placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. She twirled slightly and looked at the clothing she borrowed. It was a dark red shirt and black pants. It was perfectly simple for the girl.

"Sakura, we need to speak now. There is a meeting so hurry." Sasori was standing at the door and looking at her as if it was nothing. He smirked when he noticed that Konan's clothing fit her. His smirk widened when he saw that she was wearing a shirt of his second favorite color. His first always has been emerald green. Just like Sakura's eyes.

"Sasori! I could have been changing!"

"But you weren't…"

"But I could have been!"

"Whatever… Hurry up and finish getting ready. I'll be waiting to take you to the others." And with that Sakura remembered that he didn't enjoy waiting. The cherry blossom was quick to brush her hair and run out of the room. Just as he said, Sasori was tapping his foot and waiting. His eyes were amused and annoyed at the same time.

They entered a conference and took two empty seats. To her right Tobi complimented her clothing and pulled at her hand to check on her nails. Across from her Deidara looked her up and down and winked playfully. She chuckled and looked at Sasori who grew even more annoyed. Soon enough, Itachi began to speak.

"As you all may know, we have gained a new female member in the organization. Haruno Sakura will prove to us that she will be loyal and go to the mission tomorrow. The details have been given to Sasori and Deidara. After this she will be helping in any other missions with other people in the organization as well. Although Sakura is indeed a female within the organization, Pein has requested that we not harass her in anyway" Itachi shot a glare at Hidan who sighed in frustration. "Also, Pein and Konan are on a mission and have left me in charge of the Akatsuki."

Itachi spent the next half hour talking about other missions and explaining certain things to Sakura. She nodded her pink head and listened closely. After the meeting she began to walk to the room. But Sasori and Deidara stopped her.

"We're going to train, un." He grinned at her in a way that reminded her of a child. She laughed softly and nodded. They both grabbed one of her arms and dragged her outside. She smiled as she looked at Deidara who had jumped onto a clay bird. "Are you ready, Pinky?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." She grinned as the bird took off into the air. The pinkette jumped from tree to tree dodging his clay bombs. One was actually very close, but Sakura just shook it off and jumped up to his height. He grinned devilishly and sent a clay snake at her. It twisted before her eyes and exploded before landing on her. But it turned to smoke and Deidara turned around with enough time to see the real Sakura sending her chakra enhanced fist into the bird. She jumped off the shattering bird and saw Deidara fall to the ground. She jumped over the bombs that Deidara threw into her path. The cherry blossom had the advantage while he was on the ground. She walked closer to him before disappearing. She appeared behind him with sharpened chakra fingertips and pressed several pressure points with extreme speed.

"I win." She smiled and bent down to heal all of his cuts and bruises. But suddenly a puppet was in her face.

"You don't 'win' until you have defeated me." Sasori was smirking as he manipulated the puppet in front of Sakura.

It was an hour later when Sakura was panting and with one final attempt she took out Sasori's legs. Nobody could react fast enough and within a few seconds Sasori was on all fours above a blushing Sakura.

_**A/N COMPLETELY AWKWARD! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. My dear friend, Pattie, helped get this chapter going. She even helped with the ending. As I always say, I love you guys! BYE SEE YOU NEXT TIME!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The pinkette felt the heat rushing to her face as she turned red. Sasori's face was only inches away from hers and his tree scent was only enhanced while out in the forest. Sakura blushed a deeper red as he lowered his lips to her ear. His breath was warm and tickled slightly as he whispered into her ear softly.

"I win." He smirked and flipped her and pinned her arms to her back uncomfortably. She let loose a growl and took his hand to stand up. The girl walked over to the damaged Deidara who was laughing at them and began to heal him. When the blond wouldn't stop laughing she sharpened the chakra, making him scream for mercy.

After Sakura finished healing everyone she turned to find the puppet that she hit so hard it went flying into the forest. The pinkette smiled as she was surrounded by broken trees and followed the destruction to Sasori's "Art". She picked it up and walked back to the hideout. She entered and threw the puppet into Sasori's room.

Sakura began to hear arguing from the room all the way at the end of the hall. This door was unmarked and so she assumed that it wasn't a bedroom. Upon entering she saw that _all _the Akatsuki men were fighting in the kitchen. Deidara and Hidan were in the same position as last time but the others were more composed, if you ignore the fact that they were yelling.

Sakura walked to Sasori and tapped his shoulder gently. He stopped yelling at Kisame and looked at her. He smirked before speaking, his voice irritated. "Nobody here knows how to cook. Usually Konan cooks for us but she is on the mission now." Sakura nodded and walked to fridge. Thirty minutes later she slammed her green fist into a pan and earned the attention of annoyed Akatsuki. But their expressions changed when they saw a table set with food.

The men ran to the table as Sakura finished setting the table. She smiled and sat down to eat as well. The pinkette noticed the thankful smirks and Deidara's wink.

"I didn't know you cooked, Bitch." Hidan's mouth was full of food and it made Sakura grin.

"Well, asshole, you've never really asked."

**Good job! Now get ready to run if he tries to kill you!**

"Look Hidan. You're harming her innocence, un." Deidara smiled.

They spoke through the meal and Sakura began to feel closer to the Akatsuki. She learned what made them angry, what made them scream for joy, and what made some even dramatic. Before the little blossom knew what could happen dinner was over and everyone was crawling to their rooms. Many of them thanked her for the food and she nodded politely.

Once inside her own room she laid her head down on one of the green pillows. She laughed softly at the irony of its color. Before she could do any serious thinking, Inner Sakura appeared from the depths of her mind.

**You cooked for a bunch of men?**

'Yes I did, why?'

**Did you tell them you've never cooked before in your life?**

'Of course I didn't! But apparently I cook well…'

**Hn… Did you know that you have a deep fear of eels?**

'Were you in my secrets again?!'

**Mayyybbeee…**

"YOU LITTLE-"Sakura turned to slam her fist into the headboard and release her anger. But she stopped as her fist was brushing Sasori's nose. The puppet master was smirking and holding a black object out to her. Her eyes widened as she took the cloak and studied it. The red clouds that had once scared her now danced happily in her vision. Her smile reminded Sasori of a little child when you give them candy.

Her hands were quick as she grabbed it and threw it on. The sleeves were long enough to hide her hands but when she lifted her arms it allowed perfect movement. The pinky danced across the room, flipping and twirling. She was 'testing' its movement. Sasori roared with laughter and Sakura blushed softly. She looked down and giggled a bit.

"Thank you Sasori-sa-"she stopped herself quickly. The redhead pretended to ignore her mistake and looked at her with big brown eyes. He nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. Sakura just smiled softly after him. She plopped down onto the bed and began to think.

Colors were flashing before her eyes, memories were creeping upon her mind, and doubts were screaming into her ears. It slowly began to dawn her that she did miss Konoha, but she also knew she felt happier here. She laughed emptily when she realized that she wasn't even sure why she was happier.

Sasori exited the bathroom, with a shirt on this time. Sadly for Sakura, Inner wouldn't let that go innocently. She complained as Sasori sat on the bed near Sakura. He turned toward the girl and looked at her emotionlessly. The pinkette saw movement flash in his brown eyes, yet she couldn't pin point what it was. Sasori on the other hand frowned deeply. He rolled over with a sigh and pick up a kunai.

Sakura screeched as the puppet man threw it past her head. She heard a slight growl and whine come from behind her. She turned to see Deidara leaning against a wall and laughing. His hair tie was cut off and his soft blond hair was now loose. Then Sakura realized the puppet master's precision. It frightened her, yet comforted her all at the same time.

"What do you want, Deidara?" Sasori was now bored, as if hoping to take off the clay user's head instead of hair tie.

"I wanted to give Pinky a hug goodnight, un." He smirked and pulled Sakura off the bed. He hugged her close and kissed her cheek. A growl erupted from Sasori's throat. Deidara winked at the pinkette and laughed. "Goodnight Pinky."

"Sleep well, Dei." She grinned at him before crawling into bed. The troublesome blond left to his own room with a huge grin. Sakura slowly began to drift off into a cold and distant sleep.

"You're shivering, Sakura." Sasori was looking at her curiously. His head was tilted to the side and Sakura silently thought she found him quite attractive like that. She shook the thought out of her head assuming that it was the sleep was talking or Inner Sakura just getting to her.

"Oh… I'm sorry, Sasori-kun." She smiled in her half asleep state. Sasori's shocked face was hilarious. But her eyes were already shut and she was drifting into sleep.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan…" He smiled softly drifting into his own sleep. The puppet slowly kissed the blossom's forehead before drifting away into a dream of pink and green.

_**A/N so what do you think? I thought maybe it's about time I stop torturing you and give you a little Sasosaku. No there will not be any Deisaku, but I wanted to put that and incorporate some jealous Sasori time. OH BIG NEWS! MY GAASAKU IS CALLED **__**Innocence, Sand, and Pink**__**. I would LOVE if you checked it out for me and gave me feedback. I love you guys! Goodbye! **_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**ME!**_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sakura awoke wrapped in Sasori's arms. She felt his chest moving as he took deep breaths in. She tilted her head up to meet his gleaming brown eyes. They were emotionless which caused Sakura to inwardly sigh.

**What did you expect? Warming eyes of love?**

'No but I mean he is holding me! Why can't I at least expect that?'

**We'll talk about it later; the gorgeous redhead is moving now!**

Just as Inner Sakura said, Sasori slowly began to move. He pulled his left arm off of Sakura and touched her hair softly. He began to stroke it as a smile pulled at his lips. The pinkette noted that his true smile was bright and dazzling, small but all the while mesmerizing. The redhead stroked her hair gently as his eyes danced with thoughts. Beautiful brown eyes that dragged Sakura's thoughts to her mouth and snuck them out without her consent.

"Such beautiful brown eyes..." Sakura whispered softly and cursed the words as they came out. Said eyes widened slightly in shock before closing for a brief minute with a smirk replacing the smile. Soon enough Sasori's forehead was leaning against Sakura's. The puppet master tilted his head and leaned closer. They both took a breath in, cherries and oak. Not the everyday smell. Their faces were centimeters away and their breaths were mingled when someone barged in.

"Danna and Pinky, we have to get ready for our mission, un!" Deidara ignored the scene before him and ran in. He grabbed the pinky and threw her into the bathroom and turned to give Sasori a curious look. When the door closed Sakura only heard Deidara's scream for help. Most likely because Sasori has him in one of his puppet's grasp.

Sakura took a shower and got ready. She laughed a little when she saw her head protector on the counter with a kunai next to it. The pinky took a brush and combed out her hair, silently she tied the protector to her head. Ignoring the feeling inside her gut, she put on her cloak and put the kunai into her small pouch.

She saw Deidara cowering in the corner and molding clay for comfort. It made her giggle and look at Sasori. He was done getting ready and placing his puppets into place, yet another habit. Even as a puppet you can't shake certain things.

They both looked up nonplussed at the protector. Deidara began chuckling until the puppet man shot him a look. Then their attention was on the kunoichi in front of them. Slowly, and deliberately, she took out the kunai and slashed the Konoha symbol. Everyone in the room knew what she was giving up, but it was dead silent.

"Good choice, Pinky. Now you can stay with me- I mean us, un" Deidara winked at her playfully. Sasori just grabbed his bag and looked for a confirmation that everyone was ready. Once the other two had nodded they left.

"So what's the mission again?" Sakura was bored as they leapt from tree to tree.

"Kill the Kazekage's assistant, Matsuri." Sasori's answer was blunt and to the point, but a secret lust for killing was hiding within it.

"That sounds cool to me." Sakura just sped up so she could kill the innocent girl.

"It's stupid, un. We have to kill her because she got lost and Kisame decided to bring her in. Stupid fish thought that he loved her until she opened her mouth and began to talk all highly about that Gaara kid. So now she knows too much and you're stuck with the job of killing the girl." The clay artist was annoyed as he continued his pointless story.

It was midnight when they reached the sand. The people in the village were asleep and that left the three Akatsuki members to walk silently in the moonlight. It glimmered over the sand and made it sparkle. The life was still as if the entire world was frozen. But soon enough they reached Matsuri's house. The trio entered the house quietly and made their way up to Matsuri's room. They found the girl wide awake on her bed.

Sakura smiled cruelly as a sudden urge to kill took over. Matsuri took out a kunai and immediately went to attack the pinkette. However, Sakura dodged it and sent a glowing punch to her spine. It cracked as the brown haired girl fell to the ground. Several pressure points were pushed and the Sand ninja was on the floor, helpless. Sakura touched the tip of her fingers to Matsuri's heart and the sharpened charka knives went straight through. The girl now lay dead and Deidara was cheering Sakura on with hushed applause. Sasori looked indifferent.

The troubling trio went off on their way out of the Sand village. It was still dark when they were far enough to set up a camp. Sakura yawned tiredly and forced Deidara to set up camp while Sasori took first post to watch.

After Sasori it was Sakura's turn. The pinkette groaned when Sasori shook her awake. She fluttered her emerald orbs open and smiled softly. Walking into the night she sat on a branch and began to her shift.

The night was beautiful. The moon was still glowing bright and crickets were chirping songs of loveliness and delicacy. The air was slightly damp, meaning that it would probably begin to pour soon. Inner Sakura was busy dreaming about Sasori, which for once wasn't bothering Sakura. She smiled at the small twinkling stars and the moving object in the bushes. Wait- MOVEMENT IN THE BUSHES?!

Sakura jumped up to her feet and stared down at whatever it was that was moving. Bright, obnoxious red hair was now directly below her. But this red hair wasn't blood red like Sasori's or even Gaara's. It was almost a softer color. The girl looked like she was crying, and lost. Upon closer inspection she noticed the girl had red eyes hidden behind glasses. She wore a lavender shirt and black shorts. Sakura felt pity for the girl suddenly and jumped to face her.

"You, girl, who are you and why are you crying?" Sakura masked her pity with a monotone voice and looked directly at her. The girl's eyes were brimming with more tears.

"M-my name is K-K-Karin. I was with O-Orochimaru, until S-Sasuke-kun k-killed him. He threatened to kill me if I didn't leave." Karin burst out crying and ran to hug a confused Sakura. Sakura's pity grew stronger and she hugged the girl back, stroking down her hair. Eventually the girl let go and the pinkette noticed her stare. 'Y-you're in the A-Akatsuki?"

Sakura nodded slowly. She noticed the girl tense up quickly, as if she were deep in thought. The cherry blossom heard Deidara and Sasori slowly get up. The sun was quickly rising in the distance as Karin rushed her words out.

"I want to join the Akatsuki with you!"

_**A/N I'm sorry I took so damn long. Anyway, I DON'T LIKE MATSURI, NOR DO I LIKE KARIN. However, I was in a good mood when I wrote this so I was going to be nice and change her into a nicer person. But should I place her with someone from the Akatsuki? I was thinking Hidan or Deidara maybe. Or even Kisame. I need someone to help me chose. Cause I'm stumped at this point. I love you guys. Bye!**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sakura could hear Sasori and Deidara's footsteps stop as Karin blurted out her statement. The air turned cold around them as the bugs and animals stopped moving. The gentle breeze that was going before had completely stilled.

Deidara was first to speak. His voice hinted more curiosity than cautiousness, "Who's this, un?"

Sakura was about to answer for a minute. But Karin beat her to the punch. She wiped her naturally red eyes once more and flipped her hair back before preparing to speak. "Hello, I am Karin. I was with Orochimaru, until damn Sasuke Uchiha killed him. I wish to join your organization." She scoffed at his name, as if it burned her tongue.

"What can you do?" Sasori was watchful of her unlike his partner. Sakura could tell he was doing the same thing she was- wondering if she was lying or a spy.

"I can track, sense chakra, and very good at trapping an enemy."

**Be watchful of this girl… She could be telling a lie, or she could be your next best friend. **

'Is that optimism from my Inner?'

**Shut up.**

Sasori grabbed Sakura and Deidara. The redhead boy pulled them close and began to whisper. "We have two choices. One, take her to Itachi and see if she is telling the truth. Or two, kill her here and now. We could use a tracker in the Akatsuki, and maybe she could teach Sakura a new trick with her chakra. What do two think?"

"I don't care, as long as she doesn't call me a girl. I couldn't really care less what we did, un. What about you, Pinky?" Deidara shrugged. His gaze turned to the female behind them, red and blue clashing. He saw sincerity behind those brown glasses.

"I think we should give her a chance. But we should definitely knock her out, just to be on the safe side." The pinkette felt slightly guilty thinking about having to knock out the poor girl. She was still holding back tears; Sakura could tell Karin was truly hurt.

Within a few seconds, Sasori was behind Karin. Shortly after he knocked her out and Deidara picked her up, they were on their way back to the base. They were at a speed that drove Sakura's breath out of her body and caused her head to spin a bit. But her medical side was telling her she'd be fine as soon as she stopped.

The group of four entered the base hurriedly. Yet they weren't fast enough to escape Kisame's curiosity. The blue man stood up and walked near the group. He circled them like a shark would and his fish scent drove Sakura to giggles. When the fish man stopped, he stared at Karin, his eyes roaming over her face slowly, as if taking in her actual presence.

"Who is this?" His voice demanded an answer. His gaze barely rising from the still passed out girl.

"Karin." Sasori's one word reply annoyed Kisame. His displeased grunt spoke for itself.

"Kisame-san, Karin was originally with Orochimaru and now wishes to join the Akatsuki." Sakura's voice was gentle as she eyed the Samehada behind his back.

"Stop with the formalities. Those are only good for the weasel, plant, and Pein-sama…" He smirked at her shocked face. Then his attention was focused on delicately pulling the barely clothed Karin away from Deidara. "Come with me to Itachi and tell me how you found Karin."

"Yes, fishy-kun." The pinkette laughed at Kisame's noticeable flinch. But out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn to have seen Sasori frown deeply. But the girl simply chose to think Inner Sakura was playing tricks on her.

It took quite a while to locate Itachi. In fact it took about fifteen minutes, until they found him attempting to stop Zetsu from murdering Tobi. At the first sight of them, Itachi beckoned for help. That was something that Sakura never imagined to see from an Uchiha. _Ever_.

Sakura pulled Tobi back a safe distance away from Zetsu. And to stop his frequent 'Why is Zetsu-sama mad's she showed him her chipped nail polish. The childish man started to scream and fuss before pulling her away and dragging her to fix her nails.

The cherry blossom figured that Kisame had been paying attention enough to tell Itachi the story. Or maybe she was imagining him looking interested as he stared at Karin.

**He is "fascinated" with her. To say it like other Akatsuki members that is.**

'Yeah, he definitely is.'

**We agree for once?**

'I guess we do… What a rare day.'

**That indeed is true. Sooo, made a move on Sasori-kun yet?**

"Sasori-kun?" the pinky repeated and looked up to find that Sasori, Tobi, and Deidara were now staring at her. She blushed madly and looked to the floor. Their expressions were burned images on her eyes. Hoping that it would make the pictures go away she shut her emerald eyes. But to her amazement Deidara's playfully hurt face was still there, along with Tobi's confused expression and the nail polish. Yet the expression still piercing its way to her eyes was Sasori's eyes. Brown pools of amusement, and accompanied with the smallest trace of a smile.

Footsteps neared, breath came close to her face, but her eyes were still shut as she pushed away the body and ran to her room. She slumped to a corner and began twirling a kunai, her emerald eyes were still shut but now were growing moist. Tears of embarrassment, those were tears she'd never cried before. Yes, there were tears of sadness, joy, excitement, and despair, but never embarrassment. Mindlessly, she wiped her eyes with her hand.

"FUCK!" Sakura screamed as the sharp kunai cut her face. She wasn't even sure how she managed to cut herself, but it only brought more tears. Soon enough waterfalls were falling down her face. And if the pain and embarrassment weren't enough, Sasori came running into the room. His stunned expression stood still. Neither of them moved except for the shaking that came with her tears.

The puppet man just stared at the watery blood. He walked over to the cherry blossom and placed a hand on her bleeding eye. The redhead kneeled by her and leaned in a bit closer.

Sakura slowly stopped crying resorting to a few soft sniffles. She looked at him with her good eye and blushed the faintest tint of pink. Her eye looked to the ground as she whispered her voice cracking. "I'm an idiot…"

"No, Sakura, you aren't." She was shocked by his caring voice. She gasped softly as wooden hands grasped her own soft and fleshy ones.

"Yes, I am Sasori. I'm a pathetic idiot with an overly large forehead." Without realizing it, Sakura had just told him all of the things she hated about herself. She wanted to slap herself and run away again, but the redhead was moving closer again.

"I love that forehead of yours. In fact, I love you…" Sasori gently pressed his lips upon Sakura's. Instinct took over and the pinkette kissed him back. Gently the two pulled away and Sakura forced both eyes open. Brown mingled with emerald as red blood bled down her face. The pinky managed a smile bright enough to blind the world before speaking.

"I love you too, Sasori-kun."

_**A/N Sorry if you found the ending bad. I actually enjoyed it. Kisame X Karin… It's kinda a cute picture in a way… I' m just saying. Anyway, ya'll are lucky I managed to finish this on a snow day. Maybe I can finish another chapter soon… I'm open to ideas. I failed to mention this in the past but I really am. I'm also thankful for my reviews. I love you guys and forever will love everyone who reviews and favorites this story. Bye guys, see ya next time. Oh and since I love you guys, you're going to get a new signature from me! I know you guys don't care, but still…**_

_**Yours Truly,**_

_**D.A.R.N (my "name")**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Took you idiots long enough…"

"Damn, Sasori you chose Bitch? I think you could do a lot fucking better."

With a small smile coated in blood, Sakura stood up and threw Hidan back through the doorway. His body crashed into the door across the hall and the pinkette laughed as he landed on Kisame's bed. Sadly, for him, it could not take his sudden weight and crashed down under his immortal body. Hidan attempted to pull himself forward, only to find the cherry blossom looming over him. Her fist was pulled back and her blood dripped to his face, making him cringe slightly.

"Hidan-kun, I think you said my name wrong…" her voice was unpleasantly sugary. Such sweetness made Sasori sick as he watched from the doorway to his room.

"I think I said it right, _Bitch_."

**CRRAACKK!**

Sakura's palm was facing up as she struck him in the neck. Any Hyuuga would have been proud to see her strike in such a way. His neck snapped and he coughed. Kakuzu growled a warning to his silver haired partner.

"What's my name, _Hida-kun_?"

"S-Sakura…"

The pinkette, very pleased with herself, bent down and healed his neck. After his bones were fixed into place, she healed her own cut. Wiping some of the blood off with her hand she walked into her own room, but not before calling out, VERY loudly: "KISAME, HIDAN BROKE YOUR BED!"

The pinky closed the mahogany door and plopped down onto the couch. Her mind began to wander and she touched her eye. The blood was drying very leisurely on her face. The blood touched upon her lips and she dragged her tongue against it bit by bit. She wasn't sure why but something in her mind told her to. The metallic taste filled her mouth and created a desire for more. She shook the thought out of her head.

**It was probably Sasori. The wonderful kiss probably gave you some of his killing lust.**

'How would you know if he has a lust for killing?'

**It's all in the eyes. Just like yours. **

'I don't have a lust for killing. And even if I did it wouldn't show in my eyes.'

**Yes it would… But you should really shower and get the blood off before you go and kill innocent kids or whatever.**

'Shut up…'

Sakura groaned as she stood up and walked to the bathroom. Sasori had vanished, most likely to his secret lair to retrieve "special" wood for his puppets. The pinkette peeled off her clothing and jumped into the scalding hot shower. She scrubbed off the blood and watched it sink into the drain. It washed away her stupidity and ignorance. Sakura realized she broke one of the many rules she was taught as a child ninja: Pay attention to your weapon.

Once she exited the bathroom she heard a whistle. She chuckled and looked at whom she assumed to be Deidara. Shocked emerald orbs were greeted with a shirtless puppet. A dark blush crept its way across her cheeks and nose as the redhead smiled at her. His smile darkened the blush and she murmured several curses against him. Then the question that haunted the murkiest corners of her mind bubbled its way to her mouth.

"Do you really love me, or were you trying to shut me up?"

Now it was Sasori's turn to be astonished. Was she really asking him this question?

"Sakura, when have I ever been known for lying or pretending to show feelings? Especially, love."

The blossom looked down slightly ashamed for questioning his love. She gasped a bit when wooden hands grabbed her face. And for the second time that day, her lips were pressed against his puppet lips. Whether he was made of wood or not, the beauty in the kiss was flawless. It took her to another world where the only two people there were her and him. He fit into her life and fulfilled her dreams and expectations.

The door slammed open, drawing the two apart. Sakura barely noticed Sasori's hands placed on her waist and her hands in his hair. Her eyes narrowed on Deidara, giving him an ominous glare as he looked her up and down.

"Sakura…in shorts…and a tank top, un…" The glare Sasori gave him made him cower. But he was obviously there for a reason as he cleared his throat and spoke again. "Pinky, Itachi wants to see you. Something about the Karin girl…"

"Thanks for informing me, Dei." She planted a kiss on Sasori's cheek and bounded away, now with the cloak on, to find the Uchiha. It wasn't that difficult. He was outside with Karin on the wide forest training ground, his sharingan activated as he studied her. Sakura ran up to Itachi and Karin. Her eyes caught onto the black coat now properly suited upon the female redhead.

"So you're in the Akatsuki now." Again, Sakura masked in feelings. Being around one of the organization's most emotionless members had its toll on her. Her eyes did not betray her and were emerald stones. Cold and empty with no feeling at all, Sasori would be proud.

"Sakura, I assume you have realized that Karin is officially part of the organization now. Starting very soon, she will teach you what she can and vice versa. But before you two begin your training, you will be going on a mission." Itachi's straight to the point attitude did not surprise Sakura. After joining the Akatsuki she was positive he would not kill her. That and the solo fact that she knew him for part of her life and had always secretly respected him.

"Yes, Itachi-san." Karin's voice was strong and it was quite evident that she had stopped crying a long time ago. Her attitude in fact was in the opposite direction. Red eyes were blaring with glee. If Itachi wasn't in the premises she might've been skipping with joy. And as hard as Sakura tried, she couldn't do anymore as stifle a laugh. But her smothered laughter was abruptly stopped when the sharingan directed its attention to her.

"What's the mission, Itachi-san?" Sakura found no point in disguising her emotions so she smiled. Itachi knew her; he was in the same village as her for a reasonable amount of years. Her enthusiastic demeanor was very well known in Konoha. The Uchiha in front of her probably knew this best. She was always the brightest person in the world and that had not changed one bit as she grew up.

"Sakura, Karin, you two must go to the Sound Village. Locate and kill Hozuki Suigetsu immediately. Karin this will not only test your loyalty and tracking skills, but it will eliminate a potential threat."

The two girls nodded and took off, away from the training field. The minute the Uchiha was no longer within sight, Karin squealed happily. She jumped up excitedly and hugged Sakura. It was a rather pathetic hug, in which Sakura noted that her strength was not great. But the pinkette returned the hug with an expectant look. Swiftly nodding her head, Karin began to speak. "Thank you so very, very much for bringing me back here! I love it here already!"

"So I see!" The cherry blossom giggled. "Who are you staying with? We should probably get packed up to go. The faster we get out of here, the faster we can come back."

The redhead nodded. "I'm sharing a room with Kisame. But he disappeared before I could find out which is his room."

The pinky laughed. Her laughter filled the halls loudly, scaring a poor Tobi away.

**She's stuck with the shark.**

'Not only that, but he definitely has a crush on her.'

**Maybe she likes him back…**

"Maybe, you're right…" Karin shot Sakura a confused glance. Once it was noticed, she apologized and gestured toward the room with a fish printed on the door. "Here's his room… Oh and the bed might be broken, you can blame the guy in the room with a scythe on it…"

"Thanks, Sakura-chan! But where's your room?"

"I'm literally across the hall. I'm sharing a room with a puppet."

"A puppet with feelings, you know." Sasori's arms snaked around her waist. His hands locked into place on her stomach and his head leaned on her shoulder. Bored eyes looked at her as she blushed and waved goodbye to Karin. The pinkette playfully pushed Sasori off and walked to the room, Sasori at tow.

"I have a mission, Sasori-kun. And it starts as soon as Karin and I are ready. We've got to kill some kid named Hozuki Suigetsu. Well, she has to track and kill him; I'm just going in with her." Sakura started to pack her kunai, shuriken, and medical supplies. Once she was done she grabbed her straw hat and placed it upon her head.

"Hn…" Sasori's fingers brushed the paper strips attached to the hat away to look at Sakura. He leaned in close to her face, his lips in a teasing smirk. Just as his mouth was millimeters away from hers, Karin knocked on the door.

"Sakura-chan, are you ready?" Her voice came out soft but loud. Sakura sighed and hugged Sasori quickly. The pinkette ran out with a smile to the redheaded female.

"Let's go, Karin."

The two girls were hopping from tree to tree. After an hour or so of learning new things about each other they stopped talking. Silence ensued between the two. But it was not an awkward or annoying silence; no it was a beautiful friend silence. One that only true friends would understand, the type you share with your best friend at least once a day.

The border to the Sound Village appeared at dawn the next day. This mission had already proven the stamina and endurance in both girls. Karin began to track Suigetsu quickly. Sakura found this fascinating. Any chakra signatures that Karin was even faintly familiar with she had the ability to pull up into her memory and track. The tracker only needed to have met the person or have a hint of chakra on an object, such as clothing or weapons. Since Karin had spent a lot of time near Suigetsu, she had a strong sense of him.

It took a total of five hours before they found Suigetsu in a bar. He was alone, and the bar was filled. Sakura slipped into the bar, taking Karin's cloak and hat with her. They decided Karin would do this alone and chose the way of his death as well.

Sakura sat at a booth, ignoring the drunken men who were staring at her. The few who approached her were struck in pressure points and put to sleep. The pinky watched, chakra pressed to her ears so that she could hear the redhead and Hozuki.

"Suigetsu is that you?" Karin was perfect, if she weren't a ninja, acting could have been her career.

"Karin, didn't Sasuke tell you to get lost?" The fake tears were forming in her eyes.

"Yes, but he never said I couldn't say my last goodbyes. Hey, let me buy you a drink."

"Sure, if it's free on me. You know I hate paying," Karin ordered a drink for the shark-like boy. Oddly enough, Sakura noticed he looked like he could be Kisame's son.

As Suigetsu turned his head to watch a pretty girl sit on his left, Karin slipped a poison into his drink at the right. The girl flipped him off quickly causing him to turn to his drink and gulp it down. The tracker smirked.

"Goodnight and goodbye Suigetsu."

Within a few minutes the girls were fleeing from the dead Suigetsu's body.

"We're pretty good partners, Sakura-chan." Karin wore a triumphant smile.

"Yeah, yeah we are, Kari."

_**A/N friendship is wonderful, is it not? And poor Sasosaku, their kisses are always being interrupted. Yep, totally going to have fun with this story, it has love and friendship**_** XD. So, you won't believe this but… I wrote a poem in Deidara's point of view. It's called Deidara Wants a Katana. Check it out pleaseeee! Okay, well I'll see you next time guys. I love you and goodbye lovelies!**

**S**_**incerely,**_

_**D.A.R.**_**N**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sakura spent several days lounging about in her room. More often than not, others would come and visit her. A majority of her visitors were usually injured members. Karin, noticing Sakura's change of mood, came around for longer periods of time. The pair of girls earned a title within the group. The Jashinist had tagged them with the team name "Bloody Lunatics" for the many times they shed blood all around the base and their hair color, which he declared were only several shades from blood red.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright? Lately, you haven't been leaving your room much. And I saw Itachi-san leave the room paler than when he came in."

"I wish I could say I was alright, Kari." The nicknames between the two girls stuck. They were best friends, neighbors, and teammates. Yes, they would officially become a team, once Sakura stopped her depression. That was what Itachi had entered her room to say. However, he left paler than usual because of some disturbing things Sakura threatened to tell Sasuke if Itachi did not leave her alone.

"What's wrong?" Karin made her way to the bed, forgetting to close the door behind her. She sat down on the bed and put her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"I think… I think I miss Konoha," The pinkette looked at her best friend and tears began to travel down her cheeks. The fragile hand on her shoulder pulled her into a bear hug. Sakura cried into Karin's purple shirt. If the redhead minded, she didn't show it. But what they redhead did show was red eyes with tears. Choking back tears the pinky whispered with the voice she could, "Why are you crying, Kari?"

"Because I know how you feel, Sakura-chan…" The girls cried together, ignoring the concerned Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori. The tears were abruptly stopped when Hidan was leaning against the doorway and mumbling curses.

"Damn, pathetic Bitch, she's even got the Whore to fucking cry with her sorry ass. What in the fucking world could you possibly be crying your asses off about?" Hidan stared at them and smirked. In his cruel, immortal mind they could not touch him. His moronic brain was stubborn and refused to learn any lessons the girls' beatings had attempted to teach him.

Sakura, knowing how to strum the nerves of the silver haired idiot, wiped her tears and looked at him with extreme fake sadness. "We just found three good reasons why Jashin isn't real." The redhead, understanding where her best friend was going continued to list several reasons why Jashin was a lie.

The Jashinist walked away, tears picked at his eyes. The sight of a grown man, an _immortal_ man, crying made the girls bubble with laughter. Sakura smiled softly at her best friend before the plan began to hatch in her head. Most people wouldn't think that bubblegum pink head could come up with anything evil and devious. They were dead wrong.

Sakura grabbed Karin's hand and bolted out of the door. Pink and red were running out to the training field. If Sakura's memory was correct, the wide open space had a corner that was covered in trees. The pinkette was sure that nobody could see or hear them there. It was a perfect place to explain her plan.

"Sakura, where are we going?" Karin stumbled and attempted to keep up with the pinky. The redhead smiled when they came to a stop.

Sakura's smile was twisted upwards in the right corner. A sure sign that she had formed a plan in that head of hers and Karin was ready to hear it once the pinky was ready to speak. The two sat down under a tree. Its dark green leaves shaded any light from the sun, but it was fairly bright in the forest. The stream that was rushing was maybe a mile and a half away, but it could be heard running loud and clear.

"Help me visit Konoha. We can leave tomorrow; almost everyone in the Akatsuki has a mission tomorrow. The only person at the base will be Tobi. We could simply lie and claim we are going to go shopping in a nearby village. And once we leave for Konoha, we could alter our appearances with genjutsu." Sakura's elaborate plan caught Karin off guard.

"I don't know genjutsu, Bubblegum." The redhead frowned. The plan seemed flawless, except for that fact.

"Oh, I do! Did I forget to mention that to everybody? I thought Itachi knew…" The pinky went off into her thoughts and after a bit looked at her friend. "Bubblegum?"

"Your hair reminds me of bubblegum."

**You have a weird best friend. Weirder than Ino-pig.**

'Yes that is true. But Karin is a better best friend. For one thing, she doesn't point out my flaws and claim it's teasing.'

**That is very true.**

'By the way, where have you been hiding?'

**Did you know you are a blood born master of the katana?**

'No…?'

**That, my friend, is where I have been.**

Inner Sakura took a bow, leaving the outer Sakura to ponder what was wrong with her. The pinkette shook her head a fraction of a bit and explained her plan to her best friend with precise detail before walking back into the base. They bid their farewells and Sakura went to bed early. She could feel herself cheering up slowly with every minute that ticked by.

In the morning Sakura did not awake with Sasori's arms around her waist. Nor did she hear Deidara's usual death threats to anyone who dared call him feminine that morning. Kisame's morning fish smell did not creep its way through her door as it did early in the morning, and his partner's illusionist aura wasn't near at all. In fact, it was silent for a change in the base. Nothing stirred as Sakura's internal clock informed her it was a bit after seven in the morning. If she had come to know the base well enough, Tobi would not be awake until ten o'clock. Her best friend was a different story.

The knocks came delicately yet rapidly. It was their sign. Sakura got up and changed quickly, she slipped on a black t-shirt and shorts. With her ninja shoes on, she ran out the door. Karin was prepared as well. Each of them had weapons and the pinkette carried her medical supplies with her as well. Their pre-written note to Tobi was placed on the counter. Sakura read it over once to make sure it was alright.

_Dear Tobi,_

_Karin and I have gone shopping in some of the nearby villages. There is some ramen in the fridge. DON'T TOUCH THE STOVE OR ELSE! We will most likely be back a little bit after sunset. If anybody, except Itachi, has come back, tell them where we have gone. If the base has been blown to pieces by the time we come back, you're dead. You may do as you wish for the day, except touching the stove or burning down the base. Tobi is a good boy if he follows these rules._

_Love,_

_Sakura_

_P.S. My nail polish is chipping and when I return we must fix it. But this time, let's try a new color, okay? Purple isn't that flattering to my fingernails._

The girls left and once they reached near Konoha they stopped. Sakura performed the genjutsu upon herself first. Her pink hair turned a deep charcoal color and her eyes a clear, rain-like blue. Her clothing and skin color remained the same. She turned and placed one on Karin, who was staring in disbelief. The red hair, from scalp to tips, began to transform into a blue color, similar to Kisame's hair. Her eyes burned with a blue color similar to the pinkette's.

"Okay, Kari. You and I are traveling sisters. Your new name is Kasumi, and I am Amaya. Remember, we are looking for Hyuuga Hinata or Uzumaki Naruto."

"I got it, Bubblegum- I mean Amaya." Karin smiled a bit embarrassed by her tiny mistake before taking her 'sister's hand and walking to the gate. The guards let them in once they explained their predicament.

Karin and Sakura began to search immediately. They walked to the Hyuuga compound only to be told that Hinata was out with Naruto. They checked near the Hokage's Tower; absolutely nothing. They looked near the past Hokage's heads; still nothing. They spent a majority of the day looking before Sakura's common sense struck her in the head. She began to lead her friend to Ichiraku's ramen stand. Sure enough the blonde was shouting next to Hinata about his plans of becoming a Hokage. Sakura tapped Karin three times and pointed to the couple. They nodded and plastered fake smiles about their faces. Karin led the way into the ramen shop.

"Hello, I am Kasumi and this is my sister, Amaya. We are new here and would love it dearly if you could show us around." Karin's perfect acting was the reason she was speaking instead of the pinkette. And although the girl knew every part of Konoha, she wished to spend the day with her two friends. All that the pinky needed was Naruto and Hinata; they had always been two of her favorite people.

"H-hello, w-we would be glad to h-help you girls, right N-Naruto-kun?" The Hyuuga smiled weakly as Sakura guessed that Hinata would never change.

"Yeah, believe it, Hinata!"

"Thank you, Naruto and Hinata." Sakura bowed her head. It seemed unusual to be acting formal towards these two. She ignored that and asked to be showed a nearby and solitary park. The pinkette knew that even though the blonde did not know of one, the Hyuuga did.

"H-here we are, K-Kasumi, Amaya." Hinata smiled shyly again, blushing a deep red when Naruto kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, yeah." The couple looked at Sakura shocked that she would show such behavior. Their eyes only widened as Sakura release the part of the genjutsu to show the roots of her hair and her eye color before putting the genjutsu back into place. "I'm surprised you couldn't tell it was me. But before you go crazy and think about turning me in, I really missed you guys and decided to visit. But I have to leave in a few hours. Oh, and this is Karin. She used to be on Sasuke's old team, but she joined the Akatsuki and now we're really good friends." The pinkette somehow thought that they would try to drag her to Tsunade and turn her in. But to her astonishment, she was bombarded with hugs. Immediately, they dragged her off to have the best few hours in Konoha that they could possibly give her and Karin. They stood at the gate, tired and worn out from the many things they managed to do several hours later.

"Bye Sakura-chan," whispered Naruto. "Once I become Hokage, you'll always be welcome back, and I won't tell anybody about your visit."

"Goodbye Sakura, Karin." Hinata smiled politely and hugged her friend and new friend.

"I'll see ya around guys. And Naruto, take care of this village because even though I'm not a part of this village, I still love it."

"I will Sakura… Now I think you should-"

Sakura and Karin had already taken off. Sunset was coming soon and if they weren't back at the base, Tobi would surely tell everybody. It took all of their strength to make it back to the Akatsuki base in time. Once they entered they saw that most of the Akatsuki members were back at the time. In the living room, Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi were questioning Tobi about the girls' whereabouts. Tobi, upon seeing the girls, jumped up and hide in the corner.

"Tobi sees new strangers!"

"Why is there a genjutsu on you both?" Itachi's sharingan was studying them. He could see through it and that infuriated Sakura. She had tried so hard to perfect her genjutsu and here the Uchiha was acting as if he didn't majorly put down her skills.

Neither of them answered fully and neither of them looked at Itachi's eyes. Sakura's, still currently blue, eyes searched Sasori's big chocolate eyes for help. Similar to her, Karin searched Kisame's pleading to be rescued. Itachi, figuring he would not get an answer, stood up and walked to his own room. The girls took this time to attempt backing away.

"Sakura, come here." The puppet master's blue strings of death were floating in the air threateningly. As if Sakura did not have a choice at all.

"Karin," Kisame's voice was rough as he tried to hold back his smirk.

The girls reluctantly walked to the Akatsuki boys. They hung their colored heads down and both boys grunted with displeasure as they touched the colored locks of hair. Sakura released the genjutsu reluctantly and sighed. Her mind slowly adopted the thought that they would be caught, that they would never get away with it. Until an orange masked idiot jumped from the corner and attacked Sakura with a hug. Unprepared for the sudden bombardment, Sakura fell clumsily backwards into Sasori's lap. A blush crept its way to her face as she lifted her hand and struck Tobi behind the head. Deidara caught Tobi as he flew across the room and pulled him out of the room, despite the boy's fighting back and screaming.

Sakura looked at Sasori sadly; ready to speak when she saw his eyes widen the slightest bit of an inch. She turned her head to meet the sight of Karin and Kisame kissing on the couch. The pinkette flinched a bit as Sasori picked her up bridal style and carried her to their room. Once they closed the door and he placed her on the bed, she opened her mouth to speak. But Sasori placed a finger on her mouth, shaking his head.

"I'm tired and I've missed you dearly."

"As have I missed you, Sasori-kun." She smiled when he crawled over her and placed a quick, teasing kiss upon her lips. A giggle passed through her lips as he kissed her again and rolled over, pulling her body closer to his. Once he pulled away they closed their eyes tiredly.

"And don't ever leave to Konoha again without my permission."

Sakura's eyes shot open with shock as she stared at the beautiful puppet man before her.

**WE'VE BEEN CAUGHT!**

_**A/N it's super late right now. I'm tired and I want to sleep. So this month might be troublesome for uploading because I've got boat loads of events planned out. Yeah, this totally sucks. I'm thinking about making chapter 13 about Karin and Kisame and how they came to be. Sort of circling Karin's feelings for the shark. Review please and thank you. I love you guys, forever and always will.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**D.A.R.N**_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Karin slowly woke up a chair. She looked around for a minute and realized that her glasses were not on properly. In fact, they were not on at all. She sighed and stood up to begin searching. Blurry colors flashed in her vision. Blue and black came close to her. She did the only thing that made sense to her at that moment. She screamed. She screamed loud enough to push the figures away.

Searching her pocket for a kunai she yelled at the figures, "Sasuke and Suigetsu stay away from me! I left like you said!" Luck went against her as the blue fellow, whom she was assuming to be Suigetsu, grabbed her arms from behind.

"Calm down, Karin. We aren't your crazy friends or whatever they are." Her captor placed glasses on her nose, which was a much bigger help than anybody would ever know. Karin blinked slowly and looked at a black haired man with eyes like those of Sasuke. Turning her head she saw the blue fellow who now looked similar to a shark. She smiled; she had always loved sharks. "My name is Kisame and this is Itachi. We know that you were brought here to join the Akatsuki. All we need is for you to look into Itachi's eyes."

Karin nodded and did as she was told. Taking a deep breath she smelled the sea and chuckled. The redhead looked directly into Itachi's red eyes. Barely a few seconds later Itachi nodded his head and pointed to the door. "She will be staying in your room."

Kisame and Karin smiled. He led her down to the kitchen where there was a black cloak and hat awaiting her. She put it on and twirled around giggling. Her laughing was cut off when she saw a blonde enter. If she recognized him correctly he was one of the three that had brought her here. Where were the pink headed girl and the other man then?

"Kisame, Zetsu needs you."

"Yeah, yeah Deidara-chan, I know he wanted me." Kisame smirked and waved a goodbye to Karin.

"And you, Karin, Itachi wants you outside."

"Hai, Deidara-san." Deidara gave her quick directions outside before disappearing into the hallway.

Itachi was exactly where she was told he would be. His emotionless face reminded her of a real live nightmare. One that she knew she'd never awaken from if she got on his bad side. Itachi motioned for her to some closer. Once Karin was only a few feet away she heard footsteps. She turned to see the emotionless pink headed girl from before. The way her emerald eyes showed nothing made her seem just as terrifying as Itachi, even with the bubblegum pink hair.

"So you're in the Akatsuki now." The pinkette wasn't asking, she was saying it as if it were a statement. Karin was left no time to reply as Itachi took this chance to start speaking. His deep voice brought fear to her ears.

"Sakura," Karin almost smiled. That name suited her well. "I assume you have realized that Karin is officially part of the organization now. Starting very soon, she will teach you what she can and vice versa. But before you two begin your training, you will be going on a mission." Itachi looked almost annoyed as Sakura attempted to not laugh. The redhead saw her emotionless façade slowly start to break away.

_**(A/N I'm sorry but we will skip to the mission now. If you haven't read chapter 11 already, which I should yell at you if you didn't, go read it. Or if you need to, go reread it. Go ahead I'll wait. *Five minutes later* Okay let's get started again.)**_

The redhead looked around inside a crowded bar. The amount of chakra signs she could sense drove her mind to swirl. But she knew she had her target already. She walked over to where a blue haired man was sitting on a bar stool. The smell of sake was already emanating off of him. She knew he would not see the true evil in her plans.

"Suigetsu is that you?" She faked the sadness in her voice and let everything play out. She still had to figure out how he would die. It would have to be subtle so that there were no witnesses.

"Karin, didn't Sasuke tell you to get lost?" Anger flared inside of her, but instead she brought tears to her eyes.

"Yes, but he never said I couldn't say my last goodbyes. Hey, let me buy you a drink." She knew his death. It would be a quick poison. One that would torture his dead soul for a good twenty four hours. He would be dead and it could be sweet vengeance for the redhead.

"Sure, if it's free on me. You know I hate paying," Suigetsu smirked and turned his head to his left. To Karin's convenience a girl had caught his attention and when he was rejected, the drink had already appeared and she placed the poison inside it. The idiot gulped the poison down. Karin held back the temptation to laugh at his foolishness.

"Goodnight and goodbye Suigetsu." She smirked and ran out with Sakura.

Back at the base Karin entered Kisame's room. She chuckled seeing him growl heatedly at the bed he was now attempting to fix. The redhead grinned as he turned around, shock written in his blue features.

"Hello, Kisame-san," Karin's smile turned shy as she realized the smell of the bar lingered on her. She silently prayed that Kisame wouldn't notice. Sadly, he did.

Kisame sniffed twice and looked at her. "Were you at a bar? Drinking sake?"

"Yes…Well, no not exactly! I mean I was at a bar, but I didn't drink anything!" The redhead frowned to herself. Heat flushed into her cheeks as she sat embarrassed by her own mistakes.

He nodded. "Let me guess, your mission?" Karin nodded. "I understand. So who did you kill and how?"

Karin laughed softly. "I killed an old friend. Sakura-chan and I found him in a bar," the redhead paused and gestured to her scent. "And I slipped a poison into his drink. But it wasn't a normal poison. I actually picked up from Orochimaru; it tortures the dead soul for a whole day before releasing them into their own hell."

Kisame stared at her. Amazed by the incredible intelligence she contained. He had already been informed about her tracking skills but now he not only saw her as talented, he saw her as outstanding. He stood up and smiled. Reaching his hand over, he took a strand of brilliant red hair in his fingers and played with it gently. "I think I love you."

"What-"

Kisame, realizing what he said, jumped back. His blue face took on a red tint as he looked away. His eyes looked down at the broken bed, waiting for his blush to fade away. Karin stood on the opposite side of the plain white room. A slight sigh of frustration crumbled out of her mouth. As Kisame looked up his eyes meet her red ones. A similar blush was on Karin's face.

"I think I feel the same way…" her voice was a whisper, almost lost in the noise outside of the room. Screaming and shouts became the background noise as Kisame walked closer to the redhead.

"Really?" Astonishment filled his voice. Tobi's screaming voice was lost in the pounding of his heart.

Karin looked away from his face. A small smile touching her lips, "Yeah, I love sharks."

_**A/N okay, so what did you guys think? This is obviously about Karin and Kisame and how they came to be. Sorry for lack of Sasosaku. Next chapter will be normal. That that is it. Please review. Love you guys!**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**D.A.R.N.**_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

She was breathing heavily as the sharp blade of a katana just barely missed her arm. The pinkette growled and sent a chakra charged fist at her opponent. Next to her the redheaded girl was struggling to keep up with her own battle. Sakura and Karin backed up only to be cornered against the mountain side. In front of them Sasuke and a boy previously named as Juugo were closing in on them. Both girls growled. Sakura jumped forward only to be sent backwards by a blow from Sasuke.

"Sakura, stop fighting. Just join me and I'll stop having to harm you." Sasuke's face still adorned the smirk he wore when the two had pounced on the girls an hour or so before. His eyes were blood red, intimidating to the redhead, but pathetic to the pinkette.

The pinky struggled to stay awake as unconsciousness flung itself upon her. She was overdoing it and her chakra was dangerously low. One word made its way from her lips when she fell onto the ground with a loud THUMP.

"Sasori-kun…"

Karin screamed seeing her best friend collapse. The redhead begged for her to still be alive. And then it all went black for her. Juugo knocked her out. Both girls lay on the floor, each with tears falling from their eyes. And each cut and bleeding on the ground. Sasuke picked up the pinkette and threw her over his shoulder. The Uchiha and Juugo disappeared, leaving Karin behind.

Hours later emerald eyes shot open. Fury burned through them as the pinkette stood up. She looked around seeing that she was in someone's room. It was a dark blue and by the huge white and red fan on the left wall, she could guess whose room it was. Sakura hissed seeing that the person in her head was sitting quietly in a chair. Sasuke smirked at her. Amusement danced across his face when she took a step towards him and collapsed.

Sakura expected her fall to hurt. But instead she fell onto something softer. The pinkette looked up and growled at the Uchiha that was now holding her. He stared down at her, no longer smirking. His eyes cooled from their red down to the normal coal black. He picked her up bridal style, the smirk returning after he heard the gasp of surprise. The raven haired boy dropped her roughly on the bed and sat down next to the pinkette.

"Sakura-"

"Sasuke, before the bullshit starts to spill from your second ass, please move away from me." Her sugary tone made him frown.

**If Hidan were here, he would smile and give you two thumbs up.**

Sakura smirked. Inner Sakura was right. Her smirk faded when Sasuke only moved closer.

"Now, now Sakura, don't get feisty. Deep down you love me. I know you do."

Sakura growled. She looked around. Catching sight of his katana she smirked and a plan hatched in her head. The pinkette leaned close to Sasuke and batted her eyelashes. "Fine, you've caught me. I have always seen you as an important part of my life. You know what Sasuke?" The pink-haired girl crawled closer to him and smiled.

"What, Sakura?" He smirked and purred his words. Obviously thinking that he had won, he leaned closer as Sakura beckoned him near.

Before either could blink Sakura grabbed his katana and aimed it at him. "You are incredibly important in my life. You showed me the difference between ignorance and stupidity." Sakura smiled evilly, cutting his left bang with the katana.

To her astonishment Sasuke smiled and stepped back. "You want to play this game, Sakura? Fine, let's play." He grabbed another katana and smirked. Taking position, he beckoned for her to attack him.

"My pleasure," Sakura growled and brought the katana back. She ran forward, throwing the katana into his arm. Sasuke smirked before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Sakura cursed to herself and closed her eyes for a minute. Then she turned around, bringing the katana up to block Sasuke's. They went at each other. Each offensive attack was met with a defensive one.

"I must admit, Sakura. You are talented with a katana."

"I wish I could say the same to you." Sakura smirked. As Sasuke scowled she tripped him with her foot. He fell to the ground and his Sharingan eyes looked up too late. Sakura used the handle of the katana to knock Sasuke out. She looked down at the katana contemplatively.

**Just take it!**

'But-'

**But nothing, grab it and run!**

Sakura nodded and took the katana with her as she ran. Her emerald eyes watched the doorway disappear behind her. Swiveling her head she jumped with joy and ran to what her eyes thought was red hair. Horror replaced hope once she saw the truth. It wasn't the puppet's red hair she saw. She saw the orange hair of Juugo.

**How the hell did you mistake the two?**

'Damn it. We haven't had food in our system in about four days. The mission with Karin and then getting caught by Sasuke left us no time to eat. It seems reasonable that we are having hallucinations.'

**Either way, we are so screwed.**

'Yes, indeed we are. '

Juugo wasted no time grabbing the pinkette and silently tossing her into Sasuke's room. The Uchiha looked aggravated and Sakura gulped slightly.

…

Karin awoke hours later at the base. She looked around confused before realizing she was on the couch in the living room. She jumped up and clung to the closest body. "Where's bubblegum?!"

"Look Whore, I don't know where the Bitch is. I found you in napping on the fucking floor and took your heavy ass home." Karin let go of Hidan before smacking him in the head. Her red eyes searched the room and locked on one person. Sasori, he must've returned from his mission while they were out on their own. Something was different about him. She just couldn't figure out what.

"Sasori, Sakura-chan was taken by Sasuke!" the redhead girl was panicking. She watched his brown eyes grow in size. He nodded swiftly and stood up. "Wait, I'm coming with you. I can track her." She stood and ran over to the puppet man. Before they could head out another person entered the room.

"Sasori, Karin-"

"Itachi-san, we have to go get Sakura-chan!" Karin began to plead in a way that would remind the pinkette of Naruto asking Tsunade for a mission.

"I-"

"No, we won't stay behind! Sakura-chan needs us!" Karin stopped her ranting and shrunk a bit when Itachi shot her an Uchiha glare.

"If you let me complete my statement, I would have told you to go." Karin jumped up and smiled. Without a minute to waste she grabbed Sasori's hand and began to drag him.

"Hurry up Sasori-san. Bubblegum needs us!" The redheads took off. Karin led the way, tacking both Juugo and Sasuke.

…

Sakura growled and looked at the ropes that held her. Sasuke leaned close to her with his smirk. His breathe against her ear as he whispered things she never wanted to hear from him. When the raven-haired boy leaned back she spit in his face. Now he was growling. His eyes flashed red angrily. Then he smirked again.

"Sakura-_chan_, don't be so angry at me. It isn't my fault you are cooperating. But if you keep being a back girl I'll have to punish you."

"I can deal with any form of torture you throw my way, Sas-_gay_." She smirked and turned her head to the left and stared at the fan symbol. Itachi had more pride and respect to his name than the fool in front of her.

"Sakura…" The younger Uchiha grabbed her face harshly. He stared at her for a minute, almost sympathetically. But it was gone in a flash. His lips crashed harshly on her own and she screamed, or attempted as he would not let go.

**We're done for…**

Both Inner Sakura and Sakura began their silent prayers. Tears picked at their eyes when a loud banging sound came from the doorway. Luckily it was enough to pull Sasuke away from his victim. The cherry blossom gasped for breath and tried to put distance between her and the Uchiha.

"Juugo?" The pinkette looked at Sasuke, surprised by his shocked tone. Then her eyes led her to the doorway. There stood Juugo, but he was a bloody mess. White bone was showing in both his arms, his face was scratched up, and his legs looked broken and bent in certain ways that seemed inhumane. But what Sakura saw and Sasuke didn't was the blue chakra strings.

Her face lit up with joy as the remains of Juugo was thrown against the wall. Sasori calmly walked in the room and looked at Sakura with his big brown eyes. She smiled and it grew bigger once Karin strolled in as well. The pinkette's best friend came running toward her. Sasuke ignored the female redhead; his attention was focused on the puppet master.

"Bubblegum, are you ok?" Karin whispered as she untied Sakura. The cherry nodded and pointed to the katana on the floor.

"The infamous Sasori is here to fight me? Well don't I feel honored?" Sasuke smirked. Sasori shook his head.

"I don't think you'll be fighting anybody." Sasuke looked nonplussed at the puppet man, only to retrieve a sadistic smirk.

"Goodbye Sasuke-_kun_." Sakura smiled maliciously as she stabbed the katana through his heart from behind. They fled quickly and Sakura thanked both of them.

Sakura walked to the kitchen before anyone could touch her at the base. She grabbed a bag of cherries and ran to her room. The pinkette took in a breath of oak and smiled. She was finally home. The girl walked to the bed and sat down. The warmth behind her went unnoticed for a minute. Then arms wrapped around her and took a cherry. Sakura jumped and turned around.

"Sasori-kun," her voice was teasing until she took a look at his bare chest. She reached a small hand out and touched his chest. It was soft. "You're human…" Sakura whispered. She wasn't sure what to feel at that moment. So she settled for doing instead of feeling. Sakura pounced on Sasori and kissed him.

"I love you, Sakura." The redhead managed to whisper those four words before Sakura kissed him again.

"I love you too Sasori..."

_**A/N um… sorry… that's what I want to say the most. Sorry if the chapter sucked. So, the Sasuke bashing is because I'm angry and I need to vent without physically hurting someone or something. Sorry. Please review. It was actually pretty hard to get myself to finish writing this. But I thought about you guys and decided it is a must finish. This is possibly getting close to an end. I love you guys and see ya next time, lovelies.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**D.A.R.N.**_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The soft sounds of footsteps walking- no, running down the halls made the pinkette stir from her slumber. She lifted her head and saw the puppet man still sleeping calmly on the bed. Sliding smoothly and quietly out of bed she walked out into the hallway. Noting that it was definitely footsteps that woke her she looked up and down the hallway. She rubbed her eyes when she thought she saw a white flower flutter in the air. The pinky sighed to herself, assuming that it was her half asleep brain playing cruel tricks upon her. Yawning a bit she walked heavier footed than any kunoichi should to the kitchen. The quietness eased itself into the scene as she walked to the fridge.

"Yay, cherries," she murmured to herself and pulled a few out along with a glass of water. The footsteps came down the hall again. Now she was almost fully awake, despite the last bit of sleep the numbed her senses. Sakura walked out into the hall, half expecting Tobi to be making his way to the kitchen and half expecting it to be her imagination.

**SAKURA, I'M YOU FROM THE FUTURE! If you go out in that hallway you'll get killed! Don't do it!**

'Inner, isn't it a bit late for you to be pestering me?'

**It is never too late!**

'I'm going to kill you.'

**Don't you mean you're going to kill yourself?**

Inner Sakura shrunk back into the depths of the shared mind with a smirk kissed upon her face. Sakura couldn't help but grace a crooked smile, too. She walked out into the hallway eating the last cherry in her hand. Emerald eyes grazed the floor before clouding up in thought about the origin of her inner. With that meaningless task preoccupying the pinky the footsteps returned. Slipping deep into their first encounter she bumped into a hard body. Fear struck her face for a minute as she expected an agitated and tired Akatsuki member. Instead she found something even more terrifying. Terrifying enough to make her scream like a young genin again.

"Pein-sama?" Sakura was too afraid to stutter. The pinkette stayed on the cold floor and stared up into the frightening ringed eyes of her leader. She had not seen him since the day that they had come to this base. The cherry blossom noted the time range of his disappearance before her attention was taken by a few new entrances.

Sasori, bare-chested, ran out of the room. His brown eyes, wide with panic, searched the hall for a minute before landing on a fallen Sakura and Pein standing straight up. Further down the purple hall, Hidan, Kisame, Karin, and Itachi had stepped out of their rooms. Hidan was mumbling his curses and swearing to Jashin until his eyes caught onto Pein. Each of the members took a minute to register what they saw. Karin, slightly confused but mostly scared, turned to Kisame.

"Who is he?" she whispered quietly to Kisame. The blue man gently tugged on her arm a bit stiffly and walked/ran into their room again. Everyone watched this little encounter which was followed by a bit of screaming for mercy by their fishy friend. Then there was silence which everyone knew the answer to.

Another entrance shocked (almost) everyone. Konan entered the room, her paper, white flower in her blue hair. Konan strolled calmly over to Sakura, putting a hand out along with a warm smile. The pinkette, still surprised, took it and stared at the two of them. Her mouth opened then shut again, as if willing herself to stay quiet.

"Leader-sama, it is delighting to know you have returned from your mission. May I inquire as to why you are sneaking around the base?" Itachi, who was the most emotionless throughout this entire scene, was actually slightly curious, though nobody could really tell.

The pinkette looked back and forth between Konan and Pein. The former waved her pale hand at Pein to explain and that was when Sakura caught sight of something.

"Konan, you're married? To whom?" she couldn't help but let the words slip through her mouth. Everyone turned and saw the diamond ring that decorated Konan's ring finger. All of them were quiet for a moment.

"Yeah, who's the unlucky bastard?" Hidan spoke up for the first time that night. His hair was fixed, which left Sakura to wonder how he fixed it without anyone noticing it.

"I am, Hidan." Pein's answer obviously shocked everyone. Even Itachi's eyes shot open. Multicolored eyes flew down to his left hand and surely enough there was a silver band wrapped tightly around it. Silence ensued between the group and the rain pounding outside could be heard now.

**You should marry Sasori-kun.**

'What! Where have you been all this time? And why is it you only show up to annoy me?'

**I have been searching your mind again. You daydream about Sasori-kun and don't tell me. You are a traitor! Oh and the answer to that last question is because that's my job, sweetie.**

"You are so damn complex," Sakura whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. Sakura wasn't surprised to see the men and woman in front of her stop and stare at her. "I- uh-"

Sasori, being her savior, cut in. "Leader-sama, could you explain what is going on here?" His statement was directed toward their leader, but his chocolate eyes fell on Sakura. The pinkette could see the obvious question in his eyes and she nodded to assure him that she was alright.

"As you can tell, Pein and I are now married. Our original plan was to break the news to you in a simple note. However, we were not expecting our pink friend over here to be a light sleeper," Konan's gentle smile assured Sakura that she was not mad. "Hidan, Itachi, go wake the others and meet us in the very last room in the hall." Konan's orders were not to be taken lightly as the two did as they were told. "Sasori, Sakura, follow us."

_**A/N I know I'm a bad person. I'm sorry, this will be ending next chapter I think. This isn't a lot but I don't have much time to write. I can't say much right now, sorry if it sucked. I love you guys and see you next time!**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**D.A.R.N.**_


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